Something Terrible
by jamesandlilyff
Summary: In which Rose is in a nice, comfortable relationship, yet the one person she can never get out of her head is the Slytherin she hates something terrible. But sometimes it's easier to say you hate someone than admit you love them. Plus, it's not like he'd ever feel the same way...right?
1. Chapter 1

Something Terrible

CHAPTER 1

"If we get caught, Malfoy, I swear to Merlin-"

"We're not going to get caught, all right?"

"Scorp, I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Careful Albus, _it_ can smell your fear!"

"Weasley!" Scorpius snapped, turning around to see the bane of his existence cackling manically at her cousin, who was seemingly trying to see all four corners of the forest at once in a paranoid frenzy.

"What? If we're going to get a detention because of this, at least let me have a little fun," Rose replied through her chuckles, slapping a hand on Albus' back, making him yelp in fright.

"The less noise we make, the better," Scorpius scowled through gritted teeth and continued to lead the trio down the darkened path, tightening his cloak. The brisk October air swept over the forest in a cool wind that he had not been anticipating when they had snuck out of the castle an hour previously. "And we are not going to get a detention!"

"None of this would have happened if Lily wasn't hoarding the cloak," Albus said to himself, still looking paranoid but slightly irritated as well. He had grudgingly agreed to accompany Scorpius on his mission that night but was starting to regret it as the shadows played tricks on his eyes.

"None of this would have happened if your best mate had an I.Q. that matched his fat head," Rose replied sharply. Scorpius could feel her glare bearing into the back of him but chose to ignore her comment. The last thing he needed was to get into yet another row with her now, of all places. "Gambling with Seventh Year Slytherins? Are you honestly that unintelligent?"

"No one asked you to come along, Rose," Albus pointed out, echoing the thoughts in Scorpius' head.

"As a matter a fact, I specifically recall your mother telling me to make sure you avoid another near death experience like last year with the mermaids, Albus Severus" Rose rebuked, making Albus blush. "It was either come along and keep you out of a coffin or start writing my eulogy."

"Balderdash," Scorpius murmured to himself, but not quietly enough to keep Rose from hearing.

"What was that?" she called, which he ignored again. Before he knew it, she was in front of him, wand pointed at his chest, her blue eyes blazing like a lion's. "What do you mean, 'balderdash'?"

Scorpius ran his tongue over his inner cheek, debating whether or not it was worth it to get into an altercation with her. His inner Slytherin was itching to snap back at her, defend the pride that she had been pouncing at all night, but as they were currently stopped in the Forbidden Forest at an obscene hour, he figured it was best to stay quiet.

"Nothing."

Rose smirked. "That's what I thought." She twirled around, her long, curly, dark red hair nearly whipping him in the face as she took the lead this time. Albus and Scorpius fell in suit behind her.

"Good choice, mate," Albus muttered, as Rose began ranting off all the reasons Scorpius was a horrible person who deserved to take his place right next to Satan in the ninth circle of Hell.

"Yeah, whatever," he said back, feeling goaded but knowing that he'd get her back eventually.

"…Comprehend how you've fooled the family into liking you!" she seethed. "And the prefect badge, how on earth did you get the bloody prefect badge? You are the worst possible example that should be set for students!"

"She'll cool down once we get back to the castle," Albus assured him.

"…You somehow bewitched McGonagall just like you bewitched our family!"

"She hasn't cooled down since First Year, Al," Scorpius said.

"…Am I the only one not blind to your true, malicious ways? Am I the only one oblivious of your charm?"

"Charm?" Scorpius cut in, smiling to himself. "You think I'm charming, Weasley?"

Rose stopped and faced them, crossing her arms with narrowed eyes. "No, but it's the only explanation as to why everyone puts up with you."

"Ever considered the fact that if you're the only one who doesn't like me, there must be something wrong with _you_?" Scorpius asked silkily, taking pleasure in the blush that was forming on her cheeks, noticeable in the faint light that emitted from his wand. There was a sudden crack somewhere in the forest, as if someone (or something) had stepped on a branch near them. The trio leaped together, surveying their surroundings with wands lifted.

"Can we go back? Please?" Albus whimpered.

"And people wonder why you're not in Gryffindor," Rose taunted, returning instantly to her confident disposition as if she hadn't just grabbed Scorpius' arm in fright. "Let's just get what we came here for and get out of here."

"What _we_ came here for?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were just here to protect Albus."

"I don't need protecting!" Albus demanded, but his command was overshadowing by the argument that had building up the entire night.

"I am, and I'd also like to avoid a detention seeing as we are Prefects," Rose shot back. "Or had you forgotten, just like last night when you made that blasted bet?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand why I was playing chess with them in the first place," Scorpius reprimanded.

"Does it have to do with the fact that you're too competitive for your own good?" Rose cocked her head mockingly. "When it comes to any sort of game you have the self-control of Pandora."

"Fine, I wanted to beat Zambini, is that so bad?" Scorpius cried. "I figured if I'd gotten the last 'check mate' he'd finally shut up about-"

Scorpius stopped himself before he had said too much.

"Shut up about what?" Rose asked, curiosity mixing in with agitation. He didn't reply and instead starting walking again. The two cousins raced to catch up with his stride. "Shut up about what, Malfoy?"

"Never mind, let's just find the unicorn hair and get back to castle safe," Scorpius insisted, hoping for once in her life Rose would just let something go.

Then again, she wouldn't be Rose Weasley if not irksomely persistent.

"No, tell me!" Rose grabbed his arm and whipped him around. They glared at each other as he kept his mouth shut before she thought to ask Albus. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"Ah, I, er-"

"Oh, excellent!" Rose cried, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on here?"

"It's not important, Rose-"

"Shut it!" she snapped at Albus. "I am not breaking countless school rules to search for wagered unicorn hair just to be left in the dark!"

"We didn't ask you to come!" Scorpius yelled, unable to keep his fury inside any longer. "We didn't drag you out here, Weasley! We weren't even talking about it in front of you; you overheard and declared yourself our protector because you _love_ it Weasley, just admit it. You love the adventure, the danger, the uncertainty of getting back to the castle safely! You weren't mad that Albus got attacked by mermaids last year, you were mad that you weren't invited to come along!"

Rose stood there, nostrils flaring, white sparks jumping from the end of her wand. "You-"

"Yeah, I might be competitive, but at least I accept it! I accept that when that prick Zambini challenged me to Wizard's Chess and made a bet with me, I jumped at the opportunity without thinking it through! I accept getting a little too angry after I've lost a match of Quidditch! It's better than acting all high and mighty but secretly loving breaking the rules, only restraining yourself from it so you can fulfill the standards your Prefect parents set for you!"

"They didn't set anything for me, I wanted to be a Prefect!" Rose yelled back.

"But you also love breaking the rules," Scorpius smirked malevolently.

Albus could stand their constant bickering, but things were getting too serious for him to stay neutral. "Oi, come on-"

"Stay out of it, Albus," Rose said, not breaking eye contact with Scorpius. "What does Zambini harass you about?"

"Merlin, your overwhelming need to know everything is vastly irritating," Scorpius patronized.

Albus tried stepping between them. "Can we get out of here? Please? Scorpius, I'm sure you can pay him off instead-"

Rose gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around her wand. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't hex you."

"Hm, because you won't?" The smirk returned to Scorpius' lips as he twirled his own wand around his fingers.

"Why don't we try summoning it?" Albus asked allowed. "_Accio unicorn hair_!"

"I'll do it!"

Scorpius snorted. "When blast ended skrewts fly, you will!"

"Oh, you fly?"

Albus tutted nervously, still attempting to distract the two. "That wasn't very nice, Rosie."

"You won't know what hit you, Weasley," Scorpius growled.

Rose glowered at him, raising her wand higher. "Is that a challenge?"

"No," Scorpius said with a smile. "It's a promise."

Several hexes, a few bruises, a dislocated shoulder, and an hour later, Albus sat on a hospital wing bed as Madam Abbott scurried over to her supply closet to find a pain tonic, Scorpius at his side and continuously apologizing.

"Albus I can't even tell you-"

"Save it, Scorp."

"No, I mean it, I never meant for you to get hurt-"

"I know, Scorpius."

"You were just trying to keep the peace, and yet you're the one in the hospital bed-"

"It's just a shoulder, I'll be fine!"

"Weasley's right, it's a miracle your parents like me-"

"Scorpius, enough!" Albus cried, giving Scorpius a look of assurance. "I'm fine, really. I'm just glad it was me to end up hurt and not one of you two."

"Careful, you won't be allowed in the Slytherin common room if you keep asking like a Hufflepuff," Scorpius smiled, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. She just…knows how to get under my skin."

"And you know how to get under hers," Albus admitted, acknowledging the marks on Scorpius' arms from Rose's hexes. Scorpius laughed and poked at them slightly.

"I owe her an apology, don't I?"

"She owes you one too, she knew exactly what she was doing."

Madam Abbott rushed back to Albus' side with two goblet full of an odd, purple liquid. "Drink up, Mr. Potter. You'll get a bit drowsy but you may return to your dorm."

"Thank you." Alex swung the tonic back and made a face as he swallowed. "This better be worth it."

"I can assure you it will," Madam Abbott nodded but raised an eyebrow. "Tell me again what you boys were doing that got you to this state?"

"Albus fell out of his bed, landed on his shoulder," Scorpius replied swiftly without batting an eye. "Nasty fall, really."

She still looked unconvinced. "What's with the cloaks?"

"Madam, the Slytherin common room is in the dudgeons. Unless you're by the fire, heat is a luxury."

She looked unconvinced but allowed them to leave without any more questions asked. They waved goodbye and thanked her for the late night treatment before beginning their walk back to their dormitory.

"Do you think Rose got back okay?" Albus asked with a yawn as they walked through the deserted corridors, lit only from dimmed candles.

"She can take care of herself," Scorpius replied with a sigh. "Besides, we've got bigger problems."

Albus yawned again, but bigger this time. "Oh?"

"I never got the unicorn hair. Zambini's going to kill me. Merlin's knows what he wants it for, he has enough money to buy it."

"Well, whatever it is, I'll help you out with it," Albus grinned, slapping him on the back but almost falling over from the shift in balance.

"Whoa, careful. That drowsiness is certainly setting in quick," Scorpius chuckled, throwing Albus' arm over his shoulder as he helped him down the stairs into the Entrance Hall.

"Zambini's a prick, you know, always harassing you about your family and the War. I understand why you bet him to stop if you won," Albus slurred, making the smile on Scorpius' face fade. "Why wouldn't you tell Rose? I'm sure she would have understood."

"She doesn't need to know about it," he replied quickly, practically dragging Albus through the dungeon corridors.

"It probably would have prevented you two from jinxing each other into oblivion," Albus giggled, sounding almost intoxicated.

"Albus, you know I would never intentionally hurt Rose, right?" Scorpius asked, his voice grave. "We may fight and get on each other's nerves but the last thing I would want would be to see her hurt. _Rioting Riviters_."

The door to the Slytherin common room opened and Albus began to giggle uncontrollably. "Oh, I know Scorp, I know all too well…"

"What's that mean?" Scorpius asked but the only response he got was a gruff snore. The oaf had fallen asleep. Feeling suddenly annoyed, Scorpius tossed his limp body unto a green couch and stalked off to his room to sleep. The rest of the night he dreamed of shadows, red hair, and unicorns.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all your positive feedback! Enjoy :D**

CHAPTER 2

They didn't see Rose until Potions the next morning. As soon as she spotted the Slytherins at their shared table in the back of the dark room, she maneuvered her way around students and desk before throwing herself at Albus, ignoring Scorpius entirely.

"How are you feeling?" she asked but continued talking before he could even open his mouth. "I'm so sorry Alby, is your shoulder still sore? Oh, I'm probably hurting it now! Did Abbott question you? Did you get caught? Oh Albus-"

"Enough with the coddling," Albus grumbled, gently forcing her arms out of the death grip she had on him. "I am fine. Madam Abbott fixed me right up. My back's a little sore because someone left me to sleep on the couch..."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I didn't have the heart to move you, you looked so comfortable."

Albus gave Scorpius a punch to the arm but Rose acted as if he hadn't said anything. Scorpius sighed, not in the mood for her silent treatment. Albus, however, found it to be quite amusing and grinned as he continued. "Did you get back okay?"

She nodded and added grudgingly, "Filch must have been having some sort of midnight picnic with Pince; he wasn't anywhere to be seen."

With the sudden appearance of Slughorn at the door, Rose left to take her seat on the other side of the room and their teacher began writing on the chalkboard. Albus leaned over and spoke out of the side of his mouth in a low voice.

"Looks like this is going to be a repeat of Fourth Year, mate."

Scorpius smiled bitterly at the recollection of the two long months Rose refused to speak to him because he accidently set her hair on fire over Christmas Break and laughed, a completely appropriate response given the situation. He dealt with it for the first week, even enjoyed it, but it started to get very irksome when she flat out refused to acknowledge his presence.

"Not if I can help it."

"The Draught of Peace," Slughorn announced to the room, grinning broadly, halting any further conversation between them. "I have a feeling one of you will- ah, yes Ms. Weasley?"

"It relieves agitation and anxiety, leaving the drinker to feel quite relaxed," Rose answered confidently with the slightest tone of smugness in her voice.

"Precisely," Slughorn praised, waddling over to his own cauldron, which was emitting a light, silver vapor. "A difficult potion, yes, but nothing too impossible for my N.E.W.T students, right?"

Next to their table, Connor Finnegan gulped. He was never too good at Potions. Albus clapped a reassuring hand on his back as Slughorn continued.

"Be forewarned, my luminous pupils," he grinned, making Scorpius feel a bit uncomfortable. "Overdosing any of the ingredients can cause a deep sleep, similar to the muggle ailment of a coma. Ingredients are in the store cupboard. Begin!"

"Maybe we should salvage all of this and keep if in a flask for O.W.L. week, eh?" Albus nudged him as they got to work. "Sell it to the Fifth Years for a galleon a swig."

Scorpius chuckled and began powdering the moonstone. "Wouldn't be the worst thing we've done."

The rest of the lesson flew by as the duo prepared the draught. The end result wasn't quite as silver as it could of been, but they both agreed it was at least worth an 'E'. As Albus cleaned up their workspace, Scorpius took the opportunity to corner Rose at her own desk.

"Hey, Weasley."

She didn't reply, choosing instead to begin humming to herself as if to block him out entirely. Instead of getting frustrated and stalking off as he would have normally done, however, Scorpius smiled at her familiar tactic. It was almost endearing.

"I know you can hear me, Red," he chided, using the nickname he knew she hated. "And it's a good thing to, because I wanted to apologize."

Rose continued to hum, but she fumbled with the cap on a bottle she had been sealing, so he knew that she had heard. "I said some things that I shouldn't have and I'm sorry."

Rose looked up at him suddenly, her pale, freckled face stoic with determination to milk his confession for everything it was; after all, it wasn't everyday Scorpius Malfoy apologized to someone, let alone her. "And?"

"Aaannd?"

Rose frowned and strapped her bag over her shoulder. "They were completely untrue."

He forced himself to look at the ground in order to hide the smile on his lips. "Of yeah, of course. Completely untrue. You don't have an adventurous bone in your body."

She shoved him slightly, but when he looked up he saw she was smiling as well. He took it that she had forgiven him. Albus joined them shortly after and the three retreated for the library in a vain attempt to get some homework done during their free period.

"Rose, what are the twelve uses of dragon blood?"

Scorpius scoffed. "Why would you ask her?"

Albus glanced over at him and a grin grew on his face. "Is that a pout, Scorpius? Are you actually pouting?"

"_No_, but we both know my intelligence is far superior to Weasley's-"

"You wish, Malfoy." Rose rolled her eyes without looking up from her History of Magic notes, unconsciously braiding and unbraiding her long, red hair.

"Shall we recall my Outstanding on the Potions final last year?" Scorpius smirked, taking pleasure in how her blue eyes narrowed at the condescending remark.

"I believe you've forgotten that I'm the one who got eleven O.W.L's in total!" Rose whisper snapped. It was so typically Rose to respect the library rules, even in an altercation.

Scorpius tutted and leaned back in his chair. "Eleven, not the perfect twelve…"

"It's one more than your measly ten."

Albus Potter sighed in exasperation. "You're both brilliant, all right? Now, can someone please just answer the question-"

"Don't be so lazy, Albus. We're in a library; look it up yourself," Rose replied sharply as she continued to stare down the constant thorn in her side.

"Seriously Al, we're not your personal encyclopedias," Scorpius teased cheekily before turning back to Rose. "Now, where we were? Ah yes, your failure…"

That's the way it had always been. Albus and Scorpius had been best friends since they first met on the train going to Hogwarts, Rose taking an immediate disliking to the blonde but always sticking around. Over the years their banter became more and more teasing, though the only one to notice was Albus.

"Your handwriting is absolutely horrendous, Weasley," Scorpius noted as he scanned her notes from History of Magic. "Has no one ever taught you how to use a quill properly?"

"It's hard to read the board when your bombastic ego is in the way," Rose mimicked as she snatched the parchment from his hands. Scorpius rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling at her jab.

"It wouldn't be quite so large if you didn't give me so many reasons to inflate it."

"Did either of you know that dragon blood can be used as an oven cleaner?" Albus read aloud from the textbook, eyebrows raised in surprise and fascination.

"Yes," Scorpius and Rose replied at the same time, as if it were obvious. The two looked at each other and laughed at the coincidence, grinning widely at Albus' tired frown. Scorpius' had forgotten his annoyance from the previous night and felt very content in the moment.

That's the thing about moments, though; they always pass, replaced by something far less appealing.

"What's so funny?" asked a new, deep voice as it joined the trio, pulling up a chair and greeting Rose with a kiss on the cheek. The laughter died down and the atmosphere in their corner of the library felt much less relaxed than it did a second ago. The only one oblivious to it, however, was the only person who was glad to see the intruder.

"Albus' ignorance, what else?" Rose replied and scooted her chair over, making room for the utterly handsome and wildly vivacious Lysander Scamander at their table.

"Ah, a topic that never tires," the Seventh Year grinned with Rose as Albus glared back and Scorpius held back laughter.

"We can't all retain every bit of text we read," Albus muttered grouchily and bent over his homework.

"Perhaps you should keep your nose out of the books and prepare for the big match then," Lysander advised with a smirk. "You'll need all the practice you can get."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Maybe Ravenclaw needs two more weeks to practice for the match, but the Slytherin team is more than ready to beat your sorry arses."

Lysander chuckled. "Easy there, sport. Save that attitude for the pitch."

"Ready to go?" Rose asked Lysander, clearly trying to avoid anything argumentative from arising. Plus, quidditch had never exactly been her greatest interest, regardless of her family's obsession with it.

Albus lifted his head. "Oh, you're leaving?" he asked, sardonically sad. Rose gave him a kick under the table. "Ow!"

"Rose was nice enough to agree to helping me prepare for N.E.W.T's," Lysander explained as he stood up, squeezing her shoulder appreciatively.

"It's the beginning of the school year!" Albus cried, gesturing to the window next to them, in which falling leaves of all colors could be seen decorating the Hogwarts grounds.

"It's never too early to start preparing," Rose shrugged. Lysander grinned and threw an arm around Rose as they left. As soon as they were out of earshot, Albus cursed under his breath.

"Bloody try-hards with their patronizing intelligence," he complained, slamming his book shut. "Maybe Scamander could get some decent Quidditch skills if he got off his academic high horse."

"You just don't like him because he's dating your cousin," Scorpius pointed out.

"I think that's a pretty good reason," Albus snapped and crossed his arms defensively. "Since when did you get all fond of him?"

"Fond isn't exactly the word I'd use. I tolerate him better than you, I suppose, but that doesn't mean I like the guy."

"Even that's astounding to me! Name one redeeming quality about the git."

"He keeps Rose out of our hair, doesn't he?"

"I happen to like spending time with my cousin," Albus countered and smirked at an unaware Scorpius. "And if I didn't know any better, I would say you do too."

Scorpius hesitated but appeared unfazed from the comment. "Rose can be entertaining at times, sure, but I can only take so much before I want to tear my hair out."

"Regardless, Lysander Scamander is a pompous jerk," Albus accused and reopened his textbook, smoothing out the crinkled pages. "How Rose puts up with him, I'll never know."

"How he puts up with Rose, _I'll_ never know."

They worked the rest of the period in silence, Albus brooding over Lysander and Scorpius trying to concentrate on memorizing his lunar chart for Astronomy. When the time came, they descended the many staircases from the library to their next class, discussing the upcoming match against Ravenclaw ardently.

"Why is it Seeker's blood that runs through these veins, why?" Albus drawled, holding up his fists and cursing at the Heavens for his misfortune. "If only I was a Beater, I could get a good swing at Scamander and it'd be completely legal."

"I'll be sure to give him a good check for you," Scorpius assured him, as both he and Rose's boyfriend were both Chasers on their respective teams. "However-"

"Oi, Malfoy!" a voice called to them, interrupting their conversation. Scorpius gulped when he caught sight of Eugene Zambini leaning against a suit of armor down the corridor, staring at him intently with a cold expression on his face.

"I'll catch up with you later," Scorpius muttered to Albus and approached the Seventh Year, hardening his jaw with a grim expression on his face. "All right, Zambini?"

He smiled eerily, his normally handsome features contorted by his malicious expression. "I will be. Did you get it or not?"

"There was a slight mishap," Scorpius admitted coolly. "If you give me another day-"

"Should have known," Zambini tutted. "A disappointment, just like your father."

He tightened his fists at his side but didn't say anything.

"Lucky, though, very lucky. I've changed my mind. I don't want Unicorn hair anymore."

"Excellent, I'll just be going then-"

Zambini held an arm out. "Not so fast. You lost, Malfoy, ergo you are indebted to me. I don't know what I want right now, but when I do, I'll let you know, yeah?"

Scorpius was not a doormat, but he had to be, at it took every ounce of control in him not to wipe the smug look of his antagonist's face. "Right."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry I've been gone for so long, I was away from a computer all week. Here's chapter three!**

"Rose, which one?"

"The blue one."

"Rose."

"Yeah?"

"They're both white."

Rose finally looked up from her book and smiled sheepishly at her frowning dorm mate. "More of a cream by my standards, really."

Her fellow, rather irked, Sixth Year Gryffindor tossed both the options at Rose and groaned in frustration. Rose laughed and pulled the sweaters off of her. "Relax, Nat. You'll look great in either."

It was true. With her long, smooth, ebony hair, chestnut skin, and sparkling brown eyes, Natalie looked good in anything she wore. Rose, on the other hand, had to avoid anything that clashed with her flaming hair and pasty white skin, an exasperating reality of life that came with being a Weasley.

"I can't look 'great', I have to look perfect!" Natalie fretted, rummaging through her trunk hastily. The rest of the girls in their dorm were still at dinner; Natalie had skipped to obsess over her date on Saturday and Rose had reached an important part of her book. Funnily enough, each girl thought their own excuse was perfectly adequate but questioned the other's priorities heavily. "Samson finally asked me out, everything has to go impeccably!"

Rose sighed and regretfully shut her book, sitting up to watch Natalie frantically throw her possessions around the room "Everything will go perfectly if you just calm down, I promise."

"Easy for you to say," she snapped. "You hang out with attractive boys for a living."

Rose snorted, ignoring the jab. "Sarcasm doesn't suit you."

Natalie looked at her, brown eyes narrowed into slits. As much as Rose loved her, the girl could get a bit scary at times. Last year during O.W.L. week she had to be sedated twice by Madam Abbott and everybody in Gryffindor Tower learned just how thin the stone floors could be when Natalie was on a rampage. "And playing dumb doesn't suit you!"

"What are you talking about?"

Smirking, the raven-haired beauty collapsed on the bed next to Rose's. "I wasn't being facetious. When you don't have your nose in a bloody book-"

"Hey, it can hear you!" Rose playfully pouted and stroked the novel in her lap jokingly.

"-You spend all of your time with three of the most fanciable boys in school. For starters, there is Albus Potter-"

"Ugh, Nat, he's my cousin!"

"Doesn't stop him from being attractive to the rest of us."

"Albus and attractive do not belong in the same sentence," Rose muttered, thinking of the time she watched him give a stray dog a few licks of his ice cream cone at Florean Fortescue's and then continued to finish it himself.

"Fine, then there's Lysander Scamander-"

She rolled her eyes but blushed a faint pink. "He's my boyfriend, that's a given."

Their dormitory door swung open suddenly, but the culprit was not one of their room mates; rather, it was Rose's cousin, Lily. She was short with light red hair, incredibly mature for a Fourth Year and often hung out with Rose and Natalie. She was as rebellious as Rose was studious, making them a personified ying and yang. "What's a given?"

"How Rosie's boyfriend should be on the next cover of Witch Weekly," Nat snorted and Rose threw her pillow at her as Lily nodded in agreement. "What's up Lil?"

"Just thought I'd say hi," Lily smiled and sat at the end of Rose's bed. "That, and one of the first years set of a dung bomb in the common room. Don't worry Rosie, Finnegan's already asserted his Prefect dictatorship on the poor twerp."

"We aren't dictators!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Lily snorted as Natalie laughed with her. Lily was Rose's best friend and she was grateful that she got along with her other friends so well. Lily had sat with Rose and Natalie the day she had been sorted and although she had friends in her own dormitory, she was always welcomed among the Sixth Years. Rose thought she needed guidance at times, figuring her spunk would get her into trouble some day, but Natalie found it amusing and often accompanied her on the daring missions Lily thought of that Rose refused to join in due to her prefect status.

"Rosie, you've been dating Scamander for what, a month now?" Natalie asked suddenly, dark eyebrows raised in thought.

"More or less."

"How have I not heard you gush about him once?" she gorged, making Lily giggle. "Tell me, Rose, are his golden curls as soft as they look? Do you drift off staring into his large blue eyes?"

"Lysander's great. I like him a lot," Rose replied simply with a small smile, which was immediately met with cries of protest.

"That's _it_?"

"I don't know, things are just...easy with him!" Rose defended, feeling a bit nervous all of a sudden. They were certainly not the couple that was all over each other in the corridors but they had a lot in common and as cliché as it was, she got tiny butterflies in her stomach when she saw him. Dating him felt right but talking about it was quite another thing; she supposed she liked to keep her personal life private. "We enjoy each other's company and it doesn't hurt that he's got the body of Adonis and the face of Narcissus. "

"Well, as I'm a merely a sweater a way from finding a boyfriend of my own, I'll make a point not to tell you all the dirty details so you'll know how it feels," Natalie scowled playfully.

"Deal," Rose laughed and remembered the root of the conversation. "Wait, who was the third guy?"

"What third guy?" asked Lily.

"Natalie claims that I hang out with fanciable guys for a living."

"You do! It's Albus-"

"That's just repulsive," Lily stated so stonily it made Rose laugh.

"-Lysander, and..." Nina grinned deviously and began picking up the stray clothes she had mindlessly scattered around their room. "A certain blonde Slytherin who you allegedly despise."

Rose raised her eyebrows in disbelief and Lily and Nina began giggling manically. "_Malfoy_?"

"The things I would do to that jaw," Natalie groaned and collapsed on the bed dramatically once more. "I'd say he's almost handsomer than Lysander. I've always liked that reckless grin of his."

"It's a draw for me," Lily admitted. "Lysander's a Seventh Year and is almost guaranteed a job at the ministry as soon as he graduates."

The girls launched into a discussion comparing the two boys, considering every aspect of their lives from appearance to rhetorical fatherhood before Lily finally thought to look up at Rose, who had been silent throughout their surprisingly in-depth conversation. "Are you smiling, Rosie?"

Being abruptly brought back to reality from her own thoughts at the mention of her name, Rose tried to contort her features to a natural ambivalence but failed miserably by the grin that was pulling at her lips. "No."

"Merlin, you are!" Natalie cackled, throwing back her head in glee. Rose couldn't help but laugh along.

"Okay yes, it's just funny, you know? Scorpius Malfoy is one of the most aggravating people alive and yet all you can think about is how his shaggy hair looks right after a shower!"

"Aggravating, you say? Is that why you hang out with him all the time?" Nina cocked her head sarcastically.

Rose held up a finger in correction. "I hang out with Albus, it's not my fault Malfoy has no other friends."

"Yeah, whatever."

"I'll admit, striking a nerve in him is entertaining, but besides that he's absolutely insufferable."

Lily, stilling smiling, narrowed her green eyes cunningly. "So?"

Rose sighed. "So what?"

"Do you agree? Do you think he's attractive?"

Rose groaned and stood up for her bed, walking across their dormitory towards the bathrooms, wanting to escape the endless questions that had answers she would never admit.

"Well?"

She paused at the door, her hand clutching the knob, not turning around. "I've seen uglier."

The girls erupted in a triumphant cry as she stalked into the bathroom, rolling her eyes but smiling slightly at their reaction. As soon as she caught her own reflection in the mirror however, confusion crashed upon her and the smile slowly faded into a tight frown.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Double Defense Against the Darks Arts had left her in a very peeved mood the next day. The Gryffindors had it with the Ravenclaws, meaning she had to put up with the glares from a group of girls who still were not quite keen on her dating Lysander. After the final bell chimed, Rose scooped up her books quickly, avoiding the menacing stares from the girls in blue and sighed in relief as soon as she was out of the threshold of the classroom.

Lysander had asked her to study later that night, so she had only about a half hour to dump her books in her room and speed through dinner. With that thought in mind she made her way through the bustling corridors, dodging groups of students playing Exploding Snap, gossiping girls, and enamored couples. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her cloak and she was pulled forcefully into a cupboard, giving her no time to process what had happened until the door slammed shut.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she fumbled for her wand in her pocket. "What-!"

"Quite, or else he'll find us," replied a voice she would be able to recognize underwater.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she stuttered, hoping he couldn't hear her heart pounding wildly in her chest as her breath staggered.

"_Lumos,_" said Scorpius and the tip of his wand instantly illuminated, filling the small broom closet with light. He was wearing the characteristic Malfoy smirk on his face and his grey eyes were playful. "What do you think?"

Her eyes widened in shock. She had never told anyone, but last year she had had a dream similar to the present moment involving Scorpius and a broom cupboard that ended very inappropriately but it seemed much to real now. Pinching herself forcefully, Rose felt goose bumps go up her spine. "I, er-"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Red," he laughed, reaching into his pocket, enjoying the blush on her face. "We need to discuss Albus' birthday party and I finally managed to escape the git when he went to the loo."

"Pardon?" Rose managed, feeling absolutely abashed at jumping to conclusions. Of course he wouldn't have done anything! It seemed ridiculous now, but a few seconds ago she thought her heart was going to fail from excessive palpitations.

"Have you been confunded? You asked me to help plan Albus' birthday party last month, remember?" Scorpius frowned as he pulled out a scrap piece of parchment, handing it to her. "Here's everything I've covered. It'll be in the Slytherin common room, I've persuaded the portrait to change the password for the night so you and your family can attend. If you can get me the cloak, I'll take firewhi- er, butterbeer duty. Can you manage talking to the house elves and getting some food? Just don't tell them who your mom is and you'll be able to manage it. Lily's got decorations down but we'll have to get music, would you mind figuring that out as well?"

Rose stared at the folded parchment written neatly in script and couldn't help feeling impressed.

"You've really done a lot."

Scorpius rolled his eyes but shrugged bashfully. "I've done what a best mate deserves, and Albus deserves this party for his big seventeenth."

"I haven't even thought about since I asked you," Rose admitted, remembering how she had cornered him in a train compartment and proposed the idea all the way back in September. He had agreed of course, but the very next day Lysander had asked her out in person after writing to each other all summer so she had forgotten all about it. "Albus' birthday is in what, three weeks?"

"Don't worry about it, just help me out now," Scorpius laughed carelessly, just as he always did. She didn't want to tell him, but Rose felt awed. "It'll just be difficult sneaking around so he doesn't suspect anything. Right now he thinks I'm asking Slughorn for Potions help."

Rose scoffed. "That's the best you could do? Like you need help with Potions, he'll see right through that!"

"I'll take that as a compliment, Weasley," Scorpius grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "However, I already bought us some time for tonight. You and I will be investigating an independent study in Herbology, a subject that Albus would rather tear his own eyes out than pursue."

The prospect of the plan made her smile before realization of her already occupied time made it fall. "I wish I could, but I already told Lysander I'd help him study." In the dim lighting, she thought she saw him purse his lips, but his tone was understanding when he said, "That's fine. When can you?"

"Lysander has Quidditch practice tomorrow. I can do it then."

"Sounds like a plan. We'll meet in Longbottom's classroom around seven, he said we could use it to help plan. Also, does this weekend work?"

Thankful she had turned down Lysander's suggestion to go to Hogsmede, Rose nodded fervently. After all, Scorpius was right. Albus did deserve the best birthday party possible.

0o0o0o0o0

Rose felt him staring at her. She hated when he did that. It wasn't endearing; if she asked him why, he would not say something about her captivating beauty or cute habits. She knew that it was simply because he was trying to master Llegimins and she was a perfect test subject, for Rose had inherited the stubborn trait of withholding many of her thoughts. His eyes were boring into her. Her grip was tightening on her quill. She could not take it.

"Lysander!" she snapped, but looking up she saw that his eyes were focused on his own book. He had not been looking at her after all.

"What?" he asked quietly, his brows furrowed in confusion and fear at her harsh tone. Shame from her assumption crashed upon her and she shook her head.

"Sorry, forget I said anything," she mumbled.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked gently, closing his book to give her his undivided attention. "You look a bit pale."

"There's a shock," she replied sardonically but instantly regretted her tone. He wasn't doing anything wrong; she was just feeling impatient and restless. Normally, the library was a sanctuary to her, but it was the last place she wanted to be at the moment. "I'm sorry, again. I'm suppose I'm not feeling all myself after all."

"Would you like to go to the hospital wing?"

A glimmer of a thought crossed her mind, how she would be able to get out of their date by going to the infirmary but instead head towards the dudgeons, but she pushed it out of her mind before it could fully form. "No, thank you. It's just been a long day."

Lysander nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it. If you thought O.W.L's were hard, just wait for N.E. ! I'll tell you, Rose, it's no picnic, even at our intelligence…"

Perhaps she could fake sick. There was the remains of a puking pastille in the bottom of her bag, she could somehow sneak it when he returned to his book…but he was so chivalrous, he would insist accompanying her to the infirmary…would it be rude to excuse herself on the pretense of getting some sleep? He'd walk her to her dorm, of course…

"…so what do you say?"

"Oh, um," she spluttered, searching his eyes for some clue as to what she should be answering. "I'm not..sure?"

"We can go anywhere you like, I know you've been there countless times before, but I feel like all we do is stay cooped up in this stuffy old place and it's not good for us," Lysander persisted. "Whether it's Madam Puddifoot's or the Hog's Head, I don't care, I just want to spend time with you."

He was talking about Hogsmede. "I don't know, Lysander…"

His jaw hardened as he pursed his lips at her hesitance. "May I ask why? Is it me, have I done something?"

"No, no, of course not-"

"Then what? I feel like you don't want to be seen with me in public for Merlin's sake!" he cried, not so much angry as confused. Guilt crashed upon her. She was his girlfriend and it seemed like she didn't even want to spend time with him. "Or is it someone else?"

"Lysander, no!"

He looked at her for a long time. She knew this time he was actually trying to perform llegimins but she felt no annoyance towards him. She deserved it for how she had treated him. The affect of Hogsmede had worn over the years and when he had originally asked her she said no without even considering that he just wanted to spend time with her outside of the castle.

"I'm sorry," he said after a while, letting his head hang. "I'm overreacting. Forget I said-"

"Let's go this weekend," Rose blurted quickly, not giving herself any time to change her mind. "To Hogsmede. We'll go to the Three Broomsticks, go on an adventure. It'll be fun! I'm sorry I said no before, we always have fun whatever we do and we'll have fun this weekend."

He grinned and she couldn't help but smile too. "It will be fun," he reiterated and reached out to squeeze her hand. "But why wait?"

"What do you mean?"

"Practice got cancelled for tomorrow," Lysander explained, his handsome face grinning wickedly. "Let's skip dinner tomorrow and feast like kings in the kitchen!"

She giggled and kissed him to accept the invitation. "There's no place I would rather be."

**Reviews are always welcomed :D**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

He was tapping his quill impatiently on the parchment so fiercely it broke the tip. Scorpius cursed and reached into his pocket for his wand.

"_Reparo_."

The quill mended itself and he returned to making sporadic dots on his paper in an attempt to stay occupied in the empty classroom and not think about how her absence that was overbearingly present.

He was split right down the middle on being worried and irked. She had said she would be here tonight, and Rose's word was as good as Godric's. Had she somehow gotten hurt on the trek down from her tower to Longbottom's classroom by the greenhouses? Fallen down a flight of stairs? Tripped on a rug? Gotten lost? Or perhaps she merely forgot...that seemed unlikely to him as well. She had seemed almost excited when they made the plan. Scorpius doubted it would have escaped her memory so easily.

He glanced at the watch his parents had given him for his birthday last month corner; she was over an hour late. Scorpius ran a hand through his hair and resolved that she wasn't coming for Merlin knows what reason. He stood up and stuffed the parchment and ink he had brought into his bag, stalking out of the abandoned classroom, consumed with confused thoughts of worry and irritation.

Perhaps he should check on her, make sure everything was all right. He figured he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't. The Fat Lady might not let him in, but she'd tell him if Rose had left for the greenhouses or stayed inside. It was moments like these that he wished brooms were allowed to be flown inside, because his legs just couldn't carry him quick enough up to the Gryffindor Tower. After what seemed like ages, he had arrived, panting, as the Fat Lady gave him the stink eye.

"Is that a Slytherin badge?" she sneered, pouring herself some more wine.

"Well, yes-"

"Ah, a Slytherin out of bed past curfew. Shocking," she mused and gulped down the glass fiercely. "I'd call for Filch if you weren't so handsome."

Scorpius grinned uneasily, not knowing how to accept a backhanded compliment from a portrait. "Right, er, can you tell me if Rose Weasley has left this portrait hole in the past hour or so?"

She swung back another glass and nodded, wiping her mouth. "Yes, yes, the girl left around eight."

His heartbeat quickened. She hadn't forgotten after all, but where could she possibly be?  
"Has she returned yet?"

"No."

"Thank you," he muttered and stalked off without saying goodbye, his mind warped with worry. Something had happened to Rose, he was sure of it. She had gotten hurt somehow on her way down to meet him. The only question was where she ended up.

He hadn't seen her on his route from the greenhouses to her common room, so chances were that she was in the infirmary, alone and in pain. His heart clenched at the thought. He ran his hand through his hair, nervously, and debated telling Albus. He deserved to know if his cousin was hurt, but what would he say? How would he explain to him what had happened without revealing the party?

Distant voices down the corridor broke him out of his frantic thoughts, immediately jumping to the conclusion that it was teachers making rounds. He ran to the nearest broom cupboard, the one he had pulled Rose into yesterday, and shut the door as quietly as possible. It still smelled of her perfume. As the muffled voices neared him however, they sounded less like teachers and more like students.

"…I think I might burst..."

"…Can only have so much cherry pie!"

"…Worth it, those House Elves know what they are doing. I need that cherry pie in my life more than I need my own family!"

He heard a laugh and it echoed in his ears as his heart stopped completely. It was a laugh that he was all too accustomed to. She was not hurt, she was not in the hospital wing; Rose had just blown him off. And of all people, it just had to be with-

"Lysander, you are awful," she giggled, and Scorpius rolled his eyes. Rose did not giggle and when she did it was sickening. "If your mother heard you say that she'd have a hippogriff."

"Well let's hope she never finds out about it then," Lysander replied, laughing himself. "We should make this a regular think, excursions to the kitchens. I had fun."

"Me too."

Her laugh echoed in his head long after they had disappeared down the corridor, long after he had stalked up to his dormitory, long after he had ignored Albus' greeting and fallen on his bed, and long after his watch reached three am and he had still not fallen asleep.

Scorpius woke up the next morning in a bad mood which persisted through most of the day. Albus never gave up asking what was wrong for he knew Scorpius was lying when he said he had a headache and inner turmoil was accompanied being a Malfoy. He was silent throughout breakfast, regardless of the countless attempts Albus made to include him in a quidditch conversation between him and their captain, Jacoby Flint. History of Magic and Astronomy passed by in a blur, and before long they were back in the Great Hall for lunch, Albus digging into his sandwich and Scorpius merely pushing his food around the plate, not exactly hungry but not exactly full.

"This brooding act has gotten old, Scorp," Albus told him with a look of disapprovement on his face after he finished swallowing a bite that wasn't humanely possible. Scorpius shrugged in response, making Albus roll his eyes and join in the conversation between some sixth years about convincing McGonagall to bring back the Triwizard Tournement.

Scorpius wanted nothing more that to tell Albus what had happened, how Rose had either forgotten their meeting or chose to blow him off in order to hang out with her ostentatious git of a boyfriend, but as they were meeting about his surprise birthday, he couldn't. He had to sit in silence and yes, mope over the fact Rose disregarded him- er, but mostly Albus- so absentmindedly. After all, it was his birthday they were planning! It was a slap in the face - to Albus, of course- for she had basically chosen Lysander Scamander over her own cousin. Her own flesh and blood! How could she be so shallow? And Lysander Scamander, of all people, one of the vilest people he had ever met. Albus had been right about him all along. He wanted to tell Albus all of this and more, but he didn't and he couldn't, so he just sat in silence and tried to get Rose's voice out of his head.

Meanwhile, Rose was sitting at the Gryffindor table desperately trying to finish her Defense Against the Dark Arts homework before lunch ended. She had planned to finish it last night, but she felt it was rude to excuse herself from her and Lysander's date early after their disagreement on her commitment. She kept tucking the same curl behind her ear as she smudged the ink on the parchment, writing fervently, the dread of not being able to finish hanging over her like a dark cloud.

"Merlin's bear, slow down!" Lily cried next to her, grabbing her hand and lifting it off of the parchment as she continued to write in the air.

"I can't this has to be done by next period and I've only got-" She checked her watch and gasped. "-Ten minutes left!"

"It's not even legible with all those smudges," Lily pointed out, holding the paper up to Rose. It was covered in fingerprints, ink spills, and messy scrawl that was almost unreadable. Rose felt like she was going to cry. "Besides, isn't this due Monday?"

Miracles came in many forms, but she had never experienced one so wonderful as extended homework. She broke out in a brilliant smile and sighed dramatically in relief. "You're right. I must have gotten the days mixed up."

Lily smiled back and handed the parchment back to her. "That's very unusual for Rose Weasley, the human file cabinet. Were you with Scamander last night? Love does make the mind wander."

Rose forced a laugh. "Yes, I suppose that's it. Look, I better go give this quill back to Albus, I'll see you next period."

Lily made a face at her hurried excuse but waved goodbye. Rose knew she saw right through her excuse as they had Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins next, too. But she wanted to escape any questions about her relationship before they arised - she just didn't feel like thinking about it at the moment. Rose weaved her way through the students and tables until she plopped down next to her cousin on the bench at the Slytherin table.

"Hey Al, here's your quill."

He turned to her and made a face similar to Lily's. "My quill?"

"Yes, I borrowed it and I wanted to give it back," said Rose.

"When did you borrow it?" Albus asked and took it by the feather. "This isn't mine, Rose."

"Fine, then take it as a present," she insisted, shoving it in his bag before he could protest. Rose looked up at Scorpius across from them, his shaggy blonde head seemingly absorbed in the book that was propped against his empty plate and bowl, knuckles white from clutching it so hard.

"He's not actually reading it," Albus said, aiming it more towards him than towards her. "He's been staring at the same page for ten minutes."

Scorpius looked up and glared at Albus, melodramatically turning the page and then returning to burning a hole in it with a blank stare. Rose laughed freely and nudged her cousin. "What's with him?"

"I don't know, Little Miss Silence clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Albus sneered haughtily and gulped down the rest of his pumpkin juice. "Was he this way last night?"

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Last night?"

"Didn't you have your independent Herbology- bloody hell!" Scorpius had spilled his pumpkin juice over the table as Albus rescued his sandwich before it could get soggy from the sticky liquid. "Nice, Scorp, real nice!"

"Sorry," he muttered and reached into his pocket for his wand. "_Scorgify_."

"Right, well, your independent Herbology study, was he being a prat then too?" Albus reiterated to an unhearing Rose. She was too busy staring at Scorpius, realization that she had forgotten their party planning meeting dawning upon her like the crack of lightning. Guilt washed over at her as he happened to glance at her with a look that made her feel unpalbably guilty.

"Great, so now you're ignoring me, too?"

"What? Oh, no, Al, sorry. I just," she breathed, feeling horrible. "Forgot something, that's all."

Scorpius couldn't take the guilty looks Rose was giving him. He stood up and forced a smile onto his face, though it came out looking more like disappointed smirk. "We better get to class, then."

"He speaks!" Albus cheered at stood up with him, Rose following in suit. The three wandered towards the class as Scorpius and Albus resumed conversation, Rose silent, wondering how she was going to make it up to him. Did he know she had been with Lysander? He couldn't be angry with her if he just thought she forgot, right?

Class had never felt longer and Scorpius was fed up with Rose's pathetic glances, filled with mercy that made him sick to his stomach. At last the bell rang and Albus ran out, realizing he had forgotten his Charms textbook back in his dorm for the next class. Scorpius strode out of the classroom, counting down from ten under his breath. He felt a tap on his shoulder at six.

"Scorpius-"

Scorpius turned around to face her. "Save it, Rose. It's fine."

But of course it wasn't, not to the Crown Princess of Stubborn. Her face remained pointed and her eyes hard. "No, I want to apologize."

He snorted. "That's a first." Scorpius was surprised when she didn't send a harsh rebuke back at him and instead looked at the floor, the surest sign of shame for a girl who always insisted on looking him right in the eye whenever they had a row.

"I deserved that. I am sorry, though, I completely forgot about our meeting. Please believe me when I say I wish I had never forgotten."

Something about how she said it was so genuine that it made his glare fall. Any anger she had harbored towards him began to sail away when she peeked up at him with her gunmetal blue eyes through dark lashes. "It's all right. It wasn't that big of deal." He couldn't help but smile when her relief became apparent, but managed to transform it into a smirk. "Besides, I love to see you beg."

Rose frowned with a playful look in her eye. "Don't get used to it."

He chuckled. "Well, we're still on for this Saturday, right?"

Her smile fell as quickly as it had appeared. He felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Actually..."

"Let me guess, you're choosing Scamander over your own cousin again?" Scorpius sighed, spitting out the name like it was poison.

"That's not true."

"I know the water's sweet Rose, but blood is thicker."

"This has nothing to do with Albus!"

"His birthday party was your idea and yet I'm doing all the work!"

"I forgot once- hang on, how did you know I was with Scamander last night?" Rose chided, crossing her arms suspiciously.

Pink tinted his cheeks as Scorpius exhaled sharply out of his nose. "Where else would you be, with your friends? Oh wait, you're a bit lacking in that department, aren't you?"

Compared to his blush, Rose flushed profusely as she narrowed her eyes. "Like you're one to talk. Is that why you are so obsessed with this birthday, so you can make sure your only friend doesn't ditch you for someone else?"

"How is this now about me?"

She smirked maliciously. "Oh, I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"I have friends, Weasley. All you have is your have your cousins and an ostentatious ignoramus as a boyfriend! It makes sense, of course. Who else would be able to put up with you all day and not want to _Avada_ themselves?"

If there had been a horrible moment for Albus to walk in on their row, it would have been that, and Scorpius wasn't exactly experiencing a felix felicies day. He stepped in between them and glared at Scorpius. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I absolutely despise you," Rose seethed, ignoring Albus' appearance and staring Scorpius down with squinted eyes as if she were Medusa and he would become stone in a matter of seconds.

"I'll get over it," Scorpius shot back, rolling his eyes and making a nasty face. She gave him once last scoff before hurrying off to class as the bell rang, indicating they were very late on top of being very, very upset.

"What was that all about?" Albus demanded. Knowing he couldn't reveal the whole story without ruining Albus' birthday but also couldn't say nothing without getting hit, Scorpius adjusted the strap on his bag and lead the way to Charms on the other side of the castle. 

"If I ever see Scamander with her again, I think you'll have to restrain me," he muttered.

"Why?" Albus asked. "What did he do to her?"

"Nothing, if you don't count turning her into a selfish banshee."

"Then why are you so angry?"

"Am I not allowed to be!?" Scorpius shouted, his vociferous retort echoing off the empty corridor walls, making Albus step back from him. He regretted his acerbity instantly and shook his head. "Sorry. Let's just get to class."

But why was he so angry? A part of him knew, a small part that was often eclipsed by stronger, more defensive emotions knew exactly why, but he didn't want to admit how horrible it felt knowing that Rose had forgotten him and chose to hang out with Scamander. Because saying it would only mean one thing, something that terrified him into shouting and saying things he didn't mean just to convince everyone otherwise. Maybe in the process he may just convince himself it wasn't true.

**Review review review review review review review review review review review!**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

A week. They had not spoken to each other in a week. She had gone to Hogsmede with Lysander the day after their fight and put on a smile, but as soon as she was in her dormitory later that night, Rose put a silencing charm around her bed, pulled the curtains, and read Jane Austen until the early hours of the morning. That's all she felt like doing for the next week, ignoring Lily's persistence in trying to find out what was wrong. Albus had tried talking to her early but she had refused his help, pretending instead like everything was fine as she forced herself not to look over at the Slytherin table and have her eyes automatically land on the dirty blonde.

Personally, Rose did not think she did anything wrong. Obviously she shouldn't have forgotten their meeting, but Malfoy shouldn't have blown up in her face like Hiroshima and insisted on insulting her and her personal life for his own amusement. They had fought before but it had always been her ignoring him, not the other way around. What the hell was his problem? Was this really what it was like to deal with her silent treatments? It was maddening.

At the very least, she was grateful that the Slytherin-Ravenclaw match was rapidly approaching, so Lysander was unable to bother- er, ask her to study during the week, leaving her free to sulk in her dormitory and wrap herself in blankets, thanks to the brisk weather that came with the arrival of November.

Rose woke up the week after their row to a grey sky and (seemingly) a looming cloud of dread over her head that had become her companion. The quidditch match had finally arrived and she wanted nothing more than to come down with a sudden case of spattergroit than attend. To make matters worse, the clock read eleven: not only was she late, but she had also missed breakfast.

Grumbling, Rose jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a Gryffindor sweatshirt, determined to stay neutral for the match. Ignoring the Ravenclaw scarf Lysander had given her that laid crumpled at the bottom of her trunk, and Scorpius' old Slytherin quidditch jersey that he'd given to her last year as a gag gift for her birthday (but was surprisingly comfortable), she put on a black puffy vest to stay warm and a pair of fluffy earmuffs made from hippogriff feathers. Within minutes she was running down to the pitch, appreciating the heated castle for as long as she could before stepping out into the cold.

The match had just started when she arrived and Rose plopped down in the seat Lily had saved her in the sparsely filled Gryffindor section.

"Sleep much?" Lily grinned to which Rose rolled her eyes.

"We all can't be up at the crack of dawn, Lily Pad," Rose scolded and gave her brother a noogie. "What's up, sport?"

Hugo frowned but reached into a pocket of his jacket. "I nicked you a muffin. Figured you'd be hungry. I know I would be."

She hadn't felt so happy in weeks. Giving her groaning brother a kiss on the cheek, Rose dug into the chocolate chip goodness and surveyed the stadium. The Ravenclaw and Slytherin stands were packed, cheering for their own team and booing the other. Rose spotted Lysander straight away, dodging a bludger while carrying the quaffle as he flew across the pitch.

"Even on this cloudy day his hair still shines," Lily giggled, her eyes glinting in adoration. "What's his secret?"

"Arrogance and conditioner," Hugo muttered besides her, turning her girly giggles into a true witch cackle. Rose narrowed her eyes and leaned over to whack her brother upside the head. "Ow!"

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about! You've been hanging out with Albus too much."

"Actually, it was Scorpius who said it first."

Their was a sudden roar in the Slytherin section as said Malfoy stole the quaffle from Ravenclaw and weaved his way towards the rings on the other side of the pitch. Rose watched him despite herself, an annoying part of her wanting to clap along with the others.

"_AN EXCELLENT SHOT MADE BY SIXTH YEAR SCORPIUS MALFOY! SLYTHERIN 10, RAVENCLAW ZERO!"_

"Since when do you hang out with him?" Rose asked her brother casually over the thunderous applause, braiding and rebraiding her hair to have something to do with her hands.

"Since when do you not?" Hugo rebuked, unable to tear his eyes away from the match. "Albus said you two haven't spoken in a week."

"Yeah, because he's a mendacious prat," Rose snapped defensively, slouching in her seat as Scorpius stole the quaffle once more. His success was menacing, as if he were doing it just to spite her.

"_SLYTHERIN 20, RAVENCLAW ZERO!" _

"Then why is he the one ignoring you?" Hugo glanced over at her, smirking. Rose didn't reply and chose to pout silently in her seat as Lily and Hugo began making bets.

"Don't be obtuse, Hugo, Ravenclaw is going to win!" Lily cried, pointing to one of the players in blue. "Davies is one of the best keepers they have ever had."

"Are you completely forgetting about your own brother?" said Hugo. "He's caught more snitches than any of the other seekers combined."

"Even if Al catches the snitch, Ravenclaw will still win by goals."

"_SLYTHERIN 30, RAVENCLAW ZERO!"_

Hugo gave a whoop and clapped along with the students in green. "Not if Malfoy keeps playing like he is."

"Can we please stop talking about the devil in such a holy place?" said Rose shortly, glaring at the blonde with vicious eyes. His wavy blonde hair was sticking up straight from the wind and his normally pale cheeks were flushed from the cold. He was grinning but focused – clearly there was no place he'd rather be than on the pitch. "I'd rather not be blasphemous so early in the morning."

They ignored her and Lily began to gush once more, but her interests had moved on from Lysander. "There's nothing more attractive than Scorpius in a quidditch uniform."

"How about Scorpius in a body bag?" Rose muttered as she clenched her fists in her lap, feeling her temper rise.

"_SLYTHERIN 30, RAVENCLAW 10. WELL DONE SCAMANDER!" _

"See, now that's talent," Rose smirked and stood up in her seat, cheering herself hoarse. "NICE ONE, SANDER!"

"Did you know in the two months you've been together he's only ever called me 'champ'?" Hugo asked her and Lily tried to smother her laughter in her scarf. "I don't even think he knows my real name."

"Of course he does, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not complaining, he's better than his brother. Bloody git always tries to sit me down and discuss politics like we're already brothers."

"Lorcan's nice," Lily frowned.

"Of course _you'd_ think that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Name one girl in our year who doesn't fancy the pants off him."

"_SLYTHERIN 30, RAVENCLAW 20!"_

"The Scamanders are one part ambition, two parts hair care products," Hugo continued, looking sour. "If one of them ever becomes Minister, I'm moving to France."

"_SLYTHERIN 30, RAVENCLAW 30! IT'S ALL TIED UP!" _

"Look at that, Slytherin's not doing so well after all," Rose proclaimed haughtily, clapping so hard her hands turned red. A roar overcame the crowd as two players had to be whistled into stillness by a withered looking Hooch, clearly too old for dealing with testosterone fueled teenagers who let their tempers get the best of them. The three cousins dropped their jaws, as it was none other than the objects of their conversation that had to be halted. Rose yanked Hugo's binoculars from his neck, ignoring his cries of pain and zoomed in as far as they could go. Scorpius looked livid, his already strong jaw hard as a rock as he bellowed something back at a furious Lysander who kept having to jerk his head to get the curls out of his eyes.

"What could they possibly be quarreling about?" Lily asked, her nose scrunching in confusion.

"Rose, obviously," Hugo replied swiftly. Rose felt herself blush as she spluttered a response.

"Wha- no, of- wait, really? No, no, no, no. But- huh?"

"You're fighting with Malfoy, aren't you?"

"Well, yes-"

"My money's on Malfoy making some nasty comment to Scamander about you to make him loose focus," said Hugo as he stared intently through his binoculars. Rose stared dumb folded, angry at herself for thinking the answer could have been anything otherwise, before Hugo laughed at her expression. "Only kidding, Rose. It's probably nothing."

"Right," she answered shortly, her mouth in straight line.

"_AND IT'S A PENALTY SHOT FOR RAVENCLAW! MALFOY BETTER WATCH THOSE SHOVES."_

"He's seventeen, you'd think his maturity level would have surpassed his IQ by now," Rose chided.

Lily cocked her head, feigning confusion. "He's seventeen? I thought his birthday was in January."

"No, the 8th of September," she replied automatically. Lily and Hugo exchanged an amused look.

"_AND IT'S A MISS!"_

"Scamander should know not to let younger students get the better of him, then," Hugo scolded facetiously, giving Lily a side glance before slyly adding, "Or is he still seventeen as well?"

"How am I supposed to know, do I look like a calendar?" Rose snapped and reached over to grab the binoculars out of his protesting hands once more. "Give me that."

"Your irritability is always such a delight, sis."

"Shut it or I'll owl mum and tell her you said muggle studies is pointless," she threatened, making Hugo silence himself. She watched Scorpius through the binoculars, weaving through bludgers and Ravenclaw chasers before finally knocking out his third goal of the game. "He's too competitive for his own good."

"It seems to be working for him."

"Shut up," Rose muttered, furiously watching her foe look over his shoulder as he flew back to defense. His shaggy hair was windblown back as he effortlessly glided through the air. She could feel Lily swooning beside her and felt like retching.

"Are you going to tell us why you aren't friends anymore or continue to get angry every time we bring him up, even though you've been watching him like a hawk the entire game?"

"We were never _friends,_ Hugo. Merely two enemies who happen to share a common interest."

"Albus?"

"Obviously."

"You know, my dad and Voldemort both shared an interest in Defense Against the Darks Arts. You don't see them doing homework together in the library and having tea over break," said a grinning Lily. Hugo cracked up as Rose flitted her eyes between them viciously, deciding which one she should verbally attack first.

"_IT LOOKS LIKE SCAMANDER AND MALFOY ARE AT IT AGAIN!" _ The three cousins whipped their heads to the pitch, where Scorpius had the quaffle tucked under his arm and Lysander was keeping pace, trying to ram into him to throw him off. Malfoy, seemingly tired of Scamander's shoves, rammed into Lysander himself. Eventually their shoves became a full scale brawl once more as they stopped in midair, yelling inaudible words. Finally, a punch was thrown as the whistle was blown by hooch.

"Oh Merlin," Lily gasped, along with the collective intake of breath around the stadium. An enraged Scorpius was pulled back by Albus and their Captain Henry Flint as Lysander put a hand to his bloody nose. Slytherin was cheering raucously as Ravenclaw booed.

"ENOUGH MR. MALFOY, ENOUGH!" Hooch yelled and examined the injury. Rose sat there, frozen, unable to process what had just happened. He was too far away, but she thought she caught him staring at her, his face aghast with the realization of what he had just done.

Lysander, his nose now fixed and clean of blood, waved a hand to the crowd as the game resumed. In continued on for another minute or so before Albus caught the snitch. As soon as the final whistle rang through her ears, Rose stood up and stalked off.

"Where are you going?" they called out after her. She ignored them, determined to reach her destination as quickly as possible. Minutes later, Rose kicked open the door forcefully, any embarrassment or shame long gone as steam and the foul stench of boy engulfed her. Eyes blazing, and slightly watering, Rose stomped into the terrifying unknown that was the boy's lockeroom. The half-naked team gasped in surprise as they saw her and hurriedly covered their bare chests as if they had something to cover. Rose rolled her eyes.

"_Rose!_" her thankfully fully dressed cousin snapped from his locker, striding towards her. "In case you suddenly forgot how to read, this is the _boy's_ locker room-"

"Where's Malfoy?" Rose snarled, her blue eyes darting around, trying to spot the heathen blonde with her malicious glare.

Albus took off his glasses and cleaned the foggy lenses. "Now you listen-"

"You know, ridiculously arrogant, outrageously dimwitted, the spawn of all things evil?" Rose interjected through gritted teeth.

Albus sighed. "I know you're mad Rose-"

"Mad? No Al, I'm absolutely outraged," she seethed.

"-But you can't just storm into the boy's lockeroom because you bloody feel like it!" Albus cried, trying to gesture Rose out of the room. "Come on, let's talk about before casting a hex you'll regret."

Rose ignored him, continuing to rant. "He's crossed the line this time, the malevolent bastard. He went too far and Merlin knows how much he deserves to get his arse kicked."

"Rose, you're breaking countless rules by being in here, let alone having the team being naked from the waist up," Albus tried.

"I don't mind if she doesn't," joked a cheeky fourth year, muffled snickers filling the room.

"Shut up, Sanders," Albus snapped before turning back to Rose. "It's not worth it Rosie, come on."

"Albus Severus you let go of me right now or so help me I'll crucify you next to Scorpius' cross!" Rose shouted and tried to fight off her much taller, much stronger cousin. "Let me GO! NOW!"

"Merlin's beard, what is all the yelling about?" asked a voice, innocent of the fury that was yet to attack him. Everyone turned towards the entrance to the showers, where a now-clean Scorpius was standing with nothing but a towel and confused look on his face.

"_You_," Rose growled, releasing herself from Albus' grip.

"R- er, Weasley, what are you doing here?" Scorpius asked, self-consciously tightening the towel around his waist. He put his hands up innocently and looked at Albus, clearly stunned. "Wha-"

"You walking atrocity!" Rose spluttered as she reached into her robes, fumbling for her wand before pointing it at him viciously. "He's my boyfriend, don't you have any respect of that? Haven't you any decency, or is your heart just as black as your soul?"

"It's not my fault the bloke can't take a punch!" Scorpius shot back, his brow furrowing in agitation. Rose was being completely close minded, as usual. "I don't expect you to know the game of Quidditch, Weasley, but when someone deserves to get hit-"

"What could he have possibly done to deserve it?" Rose gasped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and wished desperately he was fully clothed. "Can we deal with this later, Weasley?"

Rose laughed manically. "We? No, Malfoy, _I _am the one dealing with the problem that is you and therefore do it whenever I please!"

Scorpius gave Albus a look who in turn nodded to Finnegan. They both took hold of one of Rose's arms and dragged her out of the lockeroom despite her cries of protest. In her absence, the lockeroom was uncomfortably quiet, apparently unnerving a certain cheeky fourth year once more. Sanders sighed dramatically. "_Women_."

"Shut up, you git," Scorpius shot back and yanked open his locker, the joy of winning the match gone with every second he spent thinking about Rose.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I don't see why you're so angry with him, Rose."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"So he hit Lysander. Merlin knows Scamander can take it."

"That's not the point, Lily."

"Than what _is_ the point?"

Rose looked up from her book and saw Lily staring at her expectantly from the other end of the couch in the common room. It was late and the weather was growing colder – Rose's favorite time to enjoy the Gryffindor hang out. Most people had gone to bed and a fire was blazing beside them. She had a blanket wrapped around her and her warmest Weasley sweater on. Unfortunately, the familiar comforts did nothing to lighten her mood as they normally did. The anger she had felt at the game had hardly subsided and she spent most of her time these days avoiding Scorpius and dreading what tomorrow would bring: Albus' birthday party. She had used Lily as her informer and apparently everything was ready to go. A part of her couldn't wait to see what a disaster it would be without her help to plan it, but the other (much larger) part was stricken with misery at the thought of spending an entire evening in Scorpius' presence. She'd make it her business to evade him as much as possible.

"The point is," she said at last. "I'd like to finish this book in peace, and it's difficult when you keep bombarding me with questions!"

Lily rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're annoying!" Rose called back childishly at her as Lily stalked up the stairs, making a point of stomping on each individual stair. She felt a little guilty for snapping at her cousin but couldn't help it – everything annoyed her these days. The excessive amount of homework she was given constantly, Scorpius, Albus' worried glances, Scorpius' shaggy hair, First Years and their inability to walk fast in the corridors, Scorpius' cheeky smirk that was so obviously practiced in front of a bloody mirror, Lily's interrogations, Scorpius' attempts at flirting with that Hufflepuff that sat next to him in History of Magic…

The worst part was Lysander refused to tell her what their row had been about during the game.

"But if you just told me-!"

"Leave it alone Rose, it's over," he had told her firmly but with kind eyes. "That's Quidditch. You let the game get the best of you and you lose your temper, then you move on."

"But he hit you!" she had tried. "And you lost!"

Lysander had given her an exasperated look at the mention of the loss. "Yes, but it's not the end of the world. I don't understand how you can be angry when I'm not."

"Maybe I'm not as good of a bloody person as you are." That had made him laugh. He kissed the top of her stubborn head and squeezed her hand.

"Just get over it."

But she couldn't. She was going to bed irritable, walking up irritable, snapping at everyone, spending time either alone or brooding. Even she was starting to get sick of herself. But it wasn't something she could just turn off, and so for the fourth time that week she fell asleep on the couch in the common room, restless and having visions of blond hair and manslaughter.

Oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It hadn't been the best idea. The couch, however comfortable it seemed, had given her a kink in her neck that no amount of self-massage could sooth. That didn't stop her from insistently rubbing it as she, Natalie, and Lily strode towards the Slytherin common room the following night, dressed to the nine's and tittering excitedly. Or, at least, Nat and Lily were.

"He really did it all himself?"

"I helped a little, but all the planning credit goes to Scorpius!"

"He and Albus are so cute as best friends."

"I want a best friend like Scorpius."

"I want a boyfriend like Scorpius!"

"Ugh, spare me," grumbled Rose under her breath. Natalie rolled her eyes playfully and gave Rose a gentle shove. Her olive skin stood out in the white flowy tank top she wore and her legs looked endless in a pair of black pants. Lily, who was pretending like the exchange between her and Rose hadn't happened last night for the sake of the party, was wearing a green sweater that brought out her eyes. Rose wore a simple black sweater and jeans.

"So, Rosie, are you finally going to end this absurd feud tonight?" Natalie asked with hopeful eyes.

"Not planning on it."

"Rose-"

"Save it, Nat," Lily interrupted, knowing the bomb that could explode with any harsh remark or patronizing suggestion.

The party was in full swing when they arrived and each of the girls' jaws dropped one by one as the saw it before their eyes. The latest Weird Sister's comeback album was blaring from speakers charmed to hang around the room. There were tables filled with food and fireswhiskey and people everywhere were dancing and laughing and having a clearly visible good time.

"This is wicked!" Lily exclaimed, eyes wide in awe.

"He did _all_ of this?" Natalie cried.

"I'll be bloody damned," Rose muttered despite herself. Even she wasn't too bitter to ignore what a magnificent job Scorpius had done.

"Pretty cool, huh?" asked a voice behind them. They turned to see the birthday boy himself, decorated in a golden crown with a butterbeer in hand. They all cheered and hugged him. "Thanks for coming, guys. Can you believe Scorpius did all of this?"

"It's incredible," Nina gushed before flitting her almond eyes towards the firewhiskey keg. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get some…cake."

"Yeah, me too," Lily giggled and followed after her. "Happy birthday, Al!"

"Oi, no sister of mine-!"

"Ah, let her go," Rose held him back as she disappeared into the crowd. "She'll be fine."

"He said it was your idea, you know."

She feigned confusion from shock, though it was obviously what he was talking about. "What?"

Albus grinned. "Scorpius said the party was your idea. I appreciate it Rosie."

She wanted to snap at him, yell at him because she hadn't done anything so there was no reason whatsoever to thank her, but instead she just smiled. "Happy birthday."

He took a swig of his butterbeer. "Happy birthday indeed," Albus winked.

"ATTENTION!" shouted some seventh year Slytherin, slightly swaying on a table on the other side of the room. "OI, EVERYONE, SHUT IT!"

The room quieted as he began to snicker. "Very good, very good."

"On a scale of one to sloshed, where do you think he's at?" Albus whispered to her.

"Nearly pissed," Rose muttered back.

"Now, firstly, I'd like to give a toast to dear ole Albus Potter, without whom I would not be having a jolly good time right now," he toasted, raising his empty goblet. "HERE, HERE!"

"Here, here!" Everyone echoed. Albus blushed a faint pink and waved.

"Next, I'd like to announce that a few of my mates have captured a lucky suitor for a chummy game of seven minutes in heaven to really get this party going!"

Whoops and cheers echoed off the walls. "Poor kid. Probably dragged some First Year against his will," Rose tutted to Al.

"Do we have a lucky lady to join him?" the seventh year asked. A few people laughed uncomfortably, until-

"SHE'LL DO IT!" Albus shouted. Rose turned to see whom he was referring to and felt her heart stop when the finger was pointed at her.

"_You-_!"

"Go get her, gents!"

"Sorry, Rosie. Figured you needed to loosen up a bit. Have fun!"

"ALBUS, I- OOF! OI, PUT ME _DOWN!_ I SWEAR TO MERLIN I WILL HEX ALL OF YOU IF YOU DO NOT RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT!"

"Sorry love – oi, watch the goods!"

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, YOU BETTER ENJOY THIS PARTY BECAUSE IT WILL BE YOUR LAST!"

"Enjoy, lass!"

And suddenly, she was locked in the darkened supply closet, the noise of the party muffled with only the sound of her fists pounding on the wooden door to fill the space.

"Open this bloody door, damn it!"

She heard a familiar snicker behind her and instantly, bad things took a turn for the worse. "Of course it'd be you, of all people."

Her heart stopped. Her blood went cold. She inhaled sharply and prayed to Merlin for a miracle. "Please, please, don't say it-"

"Hello, Weasley," Malfoy chuckled in the darkness as her eyes adjusted to the pitch black. She could make out his form, sitting on the floor with his knees propped up and a sardonic grin on his face. "Fancy meeting you here."

"You planned this, didn't you?" Rose snapped immediately, putting her hands on her hips. "You put Albus up to this for your own sick enjoyment!"

"I did no such thing," Scorpius shot back. "Now would you calm down, you're wasting oxygen."

"So you're saying it's a _coincidence_ I ended up locked in a closet with you?"

"I suppose so," Scorpius shrugged lazily.

"The universe is rarely so lazy," Rose retorted and returned to pounding on the door. "HELLO? YES, PLEASE LET ME OUT, I THINK I'M SUFFOCATING! HELLO?"

"It's not going to open, you know."

"THIS IS THE DAUGHTER OF TWO OUT OF THE THREE MEMBERS OF THE GOLDEN TRIO DYING HERE, PEOPLE!"

"It's locked by magic."

"I DID NOT COME TO MY COUSIN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY TO PERISH, DAMN IT!"

"It won't open unless we kiss."

"YOU ARE ALL- what? What did you say?"

Scorpius laughed, enjoying her horrified expression. "The game is seven minutes in heaven, Weasley. They charmed the door. If we don't kiss in seven minutes, we'll be locked in here for the rest of the night."

Her eyes narrowed viciously. "I have a boyfriend."

"And I have standards," Scorpius grinned. "But unless you know how to break the charm, it's our only option."

"I'd rather starve," she snapped and cursed herself for not bringing her wand to the party. "Please tell me you-?"

"Have my wand? No, they took it from me before they threw me in here."

Rose pressed her back to the wall and slid down, letting her head fall into her hands out of sheer hopelessness. "We're doomed."

"More like damned, given the situation," Scorpius replied cheekily. She ignored him. "Will you stop that?"

"Stop what?"

"Refusing to acknowledge my presence. It's maddening."

"You asked for it, punching my boyfriend and all," Rose snapped, her eyes finally adjusting to the darkness.

"You're being overdramatic," Scorpius scolded. "And you're taking it personally when it's between Scamander and I. You have absolutely nothing to do with it, however much you'd like to be."

"Why did you do it then?" Rose asked, feeling weary as he let her head fall into her hands.

"Scamander's outrageous arrogance was motive enough," he admitted, ignoring the forceful look Rose shot him.

"He's not as bad as everyone makes him out to be," Rose muttered defensively. "And it's definitely not an excuse for violence."

"Says the girl who's been shouting physical threats at me ever since I met her," Scorpius laughed. "Oh come on, Rose. It's not like I didn't apologize!"

"You- what?"

"Next morning I walked right up to him at breakfast and shook hands with him," Scorpius nodded. "It wasn't easy. Those chiseled cheek bones did a real number on my knuckles."

"Is that why he told me to drop it?" Rose asked aloud. "But-but, you socked him, for Merlin's sake!"

"That's quidditch," Scorpius shrugged just as Lysander had and she began to laugh. She laughed harder and louder than she had in a long time, letting tears run down her face as her cackles engulfed them in the small room. At one point or another he joined in, and soon the both of them were cracking up so leisurely you would have never guessed they hadn't been on speaking terms a few minutes ago.

As they calmed down Rose glanced over at a chuckling Scorpius. He ran a hand through his blonde hair as he so often did with the eminence of a smile on his face. It was then that she realized a part of her had almost…missed him when they were fighting. Their banter wasn't meant to be cruel, but more of a game. When they were actually mad at each other it was very lonely. He looked up at her and she quickly glanced down, hoping it was dark enough so he didn't see her staring.

"So, Red…"

"Yeah, okay," Rose answered for him, knowing actually what he was talking about without Scorpius having to say a word. "But if Sander finds out, I'll hex you all the way to France."

Scorpius snorted. "Whatever you say, Weasley."

Rose crossed her arms, trying her hardest to sound casual about the whole ordeal. "Should I go over there, or do you…?"

"Oh, um, sure…"

"Sure what?"

"I'll go over there."

"Okay." Scorpius shifted closer to her. Rose sighed and faced him. "Okay, just do it."

"All right." He put his hand on her neck. It tingled, making her jump.

"What are you doing?" she cried, feeling her cheeks blaze.

Scorpius, bewildered, dropped his hand. "Um-"

"Why are your eyes open?"

He gave her a look. "Why are _your _eyes open?"

Rose huffed and again leaned towards him. "Just kiss me, please."

"Ah, now you're begging for it," Scorpius smirked crookedly.

"I am _not!"_

"Relax, Weasley. I was just kidding."

"I've got a boyfriend!"

"I know all too well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that you never shut up about him."

"Fine, if you're not going to do anything-"

"You're not giving me the chance!"

"This is unbelievable. Did you do this to Helena as well?"

"I- wait, what?"

"The bimbo from Hufflepuff. You snogged her, didn't you?"

"What-"

"At Slughorn's Christmas party last year?"

"Well, yes, but how-?"

"Albus told me. And Beatrice, too? And Monica? And Tatiana?"

"Hold on, what does my personal life got to do with anything?"

"You're obviously experienced so I don't understand what's holding you back."

"Merlin's beard- fine! Fine, just stay still."

"You can't make that face."

"What face?"

"That face, you're making it! You can't make that face!"

"I give up!"

"Damn it, Malfoy, it's just a kiss!"

"I know that!"

"Then kiss me already!"

"Not like this!"

The weight of his words sunk in quickly. Rose stared at him as Scorpius looked appalled at himself. "What?"

"Nothing, I-I don't know why I said that."

Rose knew she was supposed to say something, respond somehow, react to what he said, but all she could do was stare at him As if Merlin was watching over them, the door suddenly burst open with a crash, making Scorpius jump to his feet in surprise.

"Oops, didn't know this broom closet was taken," slurred a tipsy seventh year Slytherin, holding hands with an equally intoxicated Ravenclaw. Behind them, Rose could hear the boy who had carried her in here swear loudly.

"Oi, their time was almost up!"

"It's fine, we were just leaving," Rose replied quickly and brushed past the couple without giving Scorpius a second look. She heard him call after her but couldn't bring herself to turn around and face him. All she wanted to do was get drunk. Very, very drunk and forget about what he had said…and what she had felt when he said it.

Rose found the nearest table and downed three shots of firewhiskey without stopping to breathe.

"Look at you go, Red," said a voice behind her. It was the Zambini bloke, the one who Scorpius had lost a bet to a month ago in the forest. Rose took another shot and wiped her mouth.

"Don't call me Red."

"What should I call you then, love?" Zambini smiled. His white teeth stood out against his smooth, dark skin and his charming smile made him very appealing. Or maybe it was just the alcohol.

"Rose," she giggled, despite herself. There was something sinister in his grin but she didn't have the inhibition to fear it.

"Rose. Very pretty," he flirted, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Rose, you seem like you like to have fun. Care to join me and the blokes for some late night quidditch?"

She should have said no. She should have shook her head and went go to find Lily, or Albus. But all she did was down two more shots before taking his hand as he lead her out of the common room door.

**Review :) **


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